Judy Solkovits

Re "A teacher-union gap," editorial, Feb. 11 You base your editorial on a forum at Cleveland High School attended by 16 members. You fail to mention that once a month, at the West Valley-area meeting, that same hall is filled to capacity with United Teachers Los Angeles members elected at their school site to represent them. The same meetings occur monthly in all areas of the city. Every month, meetings are held at union headquarters, where a room is filled to capacity with representatives elected by the members in each area of the city.

Re "A teacher-union gap," editorial, Feb. 11 You base your editorial on a forum at Cleveland High School attended by 16 members. You fail to mention that once a month, at the West Valley-area meeting, that same hall is filled to capacity with United Teachers Los Angeles members elected at their school site to represent them. The same meetings occur monthly in all areas of the city. Every month, meetings are held at union headquarters, where a room is filled to capacity with representatives elected by the members in each area of the city.

The race for the Los Angeles school board district that stretches from Porter Ranch to Los Angeles International Airport pits a popular incumbent against two San Fernando Valley challengers in a potential battle of the "Wests"--the West Valley versus the Westside.

In the new District 4, which stretches from Chatsworth to Westchester, incumbent Mark Slavkin is seeking a return to the Los Angeles Board of Education on the strength of his political support on the Westside. About 60% of the district's voters live south of Mulholland Drive. That is good for Slavkin, who represented the Westside exclusively until last year's reapportionment put him in a district that includes West Los Angeles and the western San Fernando Valley.

Three past or present schoolteachers from the San Fernando Valley, one of them a former president of the teachers union, will challenge incumbent Mark Slavkin for the new Westside-West Valley seat on the Los Angeles school board this spring. Slavkin's stiffest competition was eliminated recently when Julie Korenstein, a board member who lives in Porter Ranch, announced that she will move to the mid-Valley and run for the seat being vacated by longtime board member Roberta L. Weintraub.

In the new District 4, which stretches from Chatsworth to Westchester, incumbent Mark Slavkin is seeking a return to the Los Angeles Board of Education on the strength of his political support on the Westside. About 60% of the district's voters live south of Mulholland Drive. That is good for Slavkin, who represented the Westside exclusively until last year's reapportionment put him in a district that includes West Los Angeles and the western San Fernando Valley.

CONTENDERS Douglas Michael Lasken, 47, of Woodland Hills is a second-grade teacher at Ramona Elementary School in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in educational administration from National University of San Diego. He ran for Los Angeles Community College District Office No. 7 in 1986. Mark David Slavkin, 31, of Los Angeles was elected to the Board of Education in 1989.

Incumbents Julie Korenstein and Mark Slavkin joined a host of other candidates Saturday who filed signatures to run for two seats representing portions of the San Fernando Valley on the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Saturday was the deadline for candidates to submit petitions with at least 500 signatures of registered voters to confirm their candidacy and be placed on the April 20 ballot.

The race for the Los Angeles school board district that stretches from Porter Ranch to Los Angeles International Airport pits a popular incumbent against two San Fernando Valley challengers in a potential battle of the "Wests"--the West Valley versus the Westside.

The Los Angeles teachers union and its members gave more than $80,000 in cash and services in the past two weeks to help reelect school board member Julie Korenstein, a last-minute boost that more than doubles her campaign fund, according to campaign reports filed Friday.

CONTENDERS Douglas Michael Lasken, 47, of Woodland Hills is a second-grade teacher at Ramona Elementary School in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in educational administration from National University of San Diego. He ran for Los Angeles Community College District Office No. 7 in 1986. Mark David Slavkin, 31, of Los Angeles was elected to the Board of Education in 1989.

The race for the Los Angeles school board district that stretches from Porter Ranch to Los Angeles International Airport pits a popular incumbent against two San Fernando Valley challengers in a potential battle of the "Wests"--the West Valley versus the Westside.

Three past or present schoolteachers from the San Fernando Valley, one of them a former president of the teachers union, will challenge incumbent Mark Slavkin for the new Westside-West Valley seat on the Los Angeles school board this spring. Slavkin's stiffest competition was eliminated recently when Julie Korenstein, a board member who lives in Porter Ranch, announced that she will move to the mid-Valley and run for the seat being vacated by longtime board member Roberta L. Weintraub.

Incumbent Mark Slavkin eked out a slim majority Tuesday to win reelection outright in a redistricted Westside-west San Fernando Valley seat on the Los Angeles school board. Final, unofficial results showed Slavkin with 52.9% of the vote, sparing him a runoff election that would have been needed had he gotten less than 50%. His strongest challenge came from political newcomer Douglas Lasken, a second-grade teacher from Woodland Hills, who came in second with 34.4%.

Three past or present schoolteachers, one of them a former president of the teachers union, will challenge incumbent Mark Slavkin for the new Westside-West San Fernando Valley seat on the Los Angeles school board this spring. Slavkin's stiffest competition was eliminated last week when Julie Korenstein, a board member who lives in Porter Ranch, announced that she will move to the mid-valley and run for the seat being vacated by longtime board member Roberta L. Weintraub.